Dr Fauci says he is ‘CONVINCED’ second wave of coronavirus will hit the US in the fall as Trump downplays threat

Kassidy Vavra, News Reporter

23 Apr 2020, 13:58

Updated: 23 Apr 2020, 14:42

Kassidy Vavra, News Reporter

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CORONAVIRUS expert Dr. Anthony Fauci is "convinced" there will be a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall.

The infectious disease expert's comments came as Donald Trump downplayed warnings from the CDC earlier this week that the second wave will come.

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Dr. Anthony Fauci speaks at a White House press conferenceCredit: AFP or licensors

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President Trump speaks at a press conference at the White HouseCredit: Alamy Live News

Fauci affirmed comments from Dr. Robert Redfield, where the CDC Director warned a second outbreak of COVID-19 will come in the fall, and it could pose more problems if the surge happens around the same time as the flu.

"What Dr. Redfield was saying, first of all, is that we will have coronavirus in the fall. I am convinced of that, because of the degree of transmissibility that it has, the global nature," Fauci said at the Wednesday press conference.

President Trump has downplayed concerns, and said at the White House press conference on Wednesday "it might not come back at all."

Fauci shot down Trump's remarks and affirmed his beliefs that the second wave of COVID-19 is coming.

"What happens with that will depend on how we're able to contain it when it occurs," Fauci said.

"And what we’re saying is that in the fall, we will be much, much better prepared to do the kind of containment compared to what happened to us this winter.”

He elaborated on Redfield's comments and said that if the second wave of COVID-19 happens at the same time as the flu, it could become even more difficult to manage across medical systems.

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CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield speaks at a White House press conferenceCredit: AFP or licensors

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Trump stands behind Fauci at a White House press briefingCredit: AFP or licensors

“I believe that’s what Dr. Redfield was saying, that it is going to be complicated,” Fauci said.

“Whether or not it’s going to be big or small is going to depend on our response," he added.

As of Thursday, more than 842,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the U.S., with over 46,000 deaths.

"Nobody can predict what's going to happen with an outbreak. What you can predict: How you're going to respond to it," Fauci said.

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"Next fall and winter, we are going to have to distinguish between which is flu and which is coronavirus - the spirit of the comment that I made is more difficult," Redfield told reporters Wednesday at a Coronavirus Task Force briefing.

"It doesn't mean it's impossible, it doesn't mean it's going to be worse, it's just going to be more difficult because we have to distinguish between the two," he added.